Alabama vs. New Mexico State: Game recap and notes

Alabama vs. New Mexico State: Game recap and notes

The Alabama Crimson Tide, once again under head coach Nick Saban, started its season 2-0 after defeating New Mexico 62-10 on Saturday.

It was not a perfect performance from start to finish, but there were a lot of things to build off of heading into the rest of the season.

Here are a few notes and takeaways from the game:

Landon Dickerson got the start at center with Chris Owens and Emil Ekiyor out with injuries.

Dickerson’s move to center opened the door for redshirt senior Matt Womack to start at right guard. His performance was shaky, but he’s a veteran presence with a lot of respect in the locker room.

Junior receiver Jerry Jeudy continued his hot start on Saturday. After posting 10 receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, the Heisman candidate followed it up with eight catches for 103 yards and three touchdowns against New Mexico State.

It was not just Jeudy lighting up the stat board at receiver, however. Henry Ruggs III (five touches, 141 yards, two touchdowns) also had a standout performance.

Daniel Wright and true freshman Jordan Battle were both on the field quite a bit today as Alabama was forced to use its dime package a lot. As a result, Christian Harris did not see as much action as Week 1.

Starting cornerback Trevon Diggs was forced to leave the game during the third quarter. And while it originally looked like a serious lower body injury, the culprit ended up being cramps.

Tua Tagovailoa looked strong for the second week in a row, completing 16 of 24 passes (66 percent) for 227 yards and three touchdowns. The ball placement was particularly on point.

Stay tuned for more breakdowns and analysis from Roll Tide Wire as the Crimson Tide gets ready to open up conference play against South Carolina in Columbia next Saturday.